Cannabis Legalization News

Thanks to a small group of bipartisan lawmakers, there is now a bill for full adult-use legalization in Minnesota being considered in the Legislature.

While cannabis consumption is up across the nation and cannabis dependency is down, liberal states are showing a greater gap between the two — lower dependency despite even higher consumption.

The governor of the Virgin Islands has signed into law the Virgin Islands Medical Cannabis Patient Care Act.

Previous legislation has failed in the state, however a new Governor and a higher number of Democratic party legislators makes this bill more likely to pass.

The governor’s inclusion of legalization revenues for his 2021 budget suggests that sales could launch in New York by 2020.

A group of well-connected activists is organizing to get adult-use cannabis legalized in Minnesota sooner rather than later.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker will work with the Illinois legislature to make good on campaign promises to legalize.

Rhode Island’s governor is calling on lawmakers to legalize but has proposed the country’s strictest adult-use regulations, so far.

H.R. 420 would decriminalize cannabis and allow states to establish legalization, placing federal regulations under the ATF.

Republican lawmakers in Tennessee are eyeing 2019 as the year to legalize medical cannabis. Some advocates, however, worry the proposal might not go far enough for patients.

This week marked the introduction of two legalization bills in the Virginia state House of Delegates. Meanwhile, Gov. Northam expressed his continued support for decriminalization.

Passage through the state House of Representatives looks secure, however the state Senate may prove to be an obstacle.

Dozens of New Jersey townships are establishing preemptive bans on the adult-use cannabis industry as state lawmakers are expected to legalize sometime this year.

Polling data and a pending compassionate care bill in the state legislature make a strong case for South Carolina’s likelihood to legalize medical cannabis during this year’s legislative session.

The unofficial list contains 60 cities — but regulators expect more as the licensing and regulation process continues.

A report by Chief Justice John Roberts indicates that while drug prosecutions as a whole rose 2 percent, cannabis prosecutions fell.

Some resistance is expected but cannabis advocates believe that, given the option, voters will choose to legalize.

Five years after the birth of Colorado’s legal cannabis marketplace, the first statewide legalization “experiment” is a proven success and the dire warnings from prohibitionists have still failed to come to fruition.

The Republican governor says he won’t consider legalization of any type because it would be going against federal laws, never mind the potential tax revenue from legal cannabis and the ongoing criminal justice crisis that prohibition has wrought.

The analysis reveals no connection between additional miles of border fence and the rate of cannabis seizures but does reveal a large drop in seizures following the launch of state-legal sales.

It appears Thailand will be the first country in Southeast Asia to allow for the production and sale of medical cannabis.

The repeal of hemp prohibition is expected to open new opportunities in agriculture, medicine, fibers/textiles, and biofuel.